With opponent HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, AZ will face the least opponent on paper in Group E of the Conference League tonight. The opponent from Eastern Europe is the first club in Bosnian football history to reach the group stage of a European tournament. Yet AZ coach Pascal Jansen does not want to talk about an easy evening. “I understand that the outside world has high expectations, because we did well last season.”
“It is a team with a lot of length in the team,” Pascal Jansen analyzes opponent HŠK Zrinjski Mostar. “They are fighters, you can see that in the way they play football. We will have to hold our own defensively. It is certain that duels will be fought.”
In total, Zrinjski won the national title eight times, including the last two seasons. And with 67 European matches, the reigning champion has the necessary experience in various European tournaments, but the Bosnian team has never participated in the group stage.
Diving into the history of Zrinjski, one player immediately stands out. Luka Modric played in the 2003/2004 season in the white shirt with the red diagonal stripe. At the time, the Croatian star was on loan from Dinamo Zagreb. In 25 matches, the then only 18-year-old Modric scored 8 goals for Zrinjski.
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At the press conference last night, Jansen complimented Zrinjski for reaching the group stage. And the Alkmaar coach was clear about the objectives of his own team. “We managed to reach this tournament again and now we are working on our next goal. That is wintering.”
A year ago, AZ also met a Bosnian team with Tuzla City. In two games, the Alkmaarders eliminated this opponent in the second preliminary round of the Conference League.
The most notable absentee from the AZ selection is Ernest Poku. The young and fast attacker is ill and remains behind in the Netherlands. The kick-off between HŠK Zrinjski Mostar and AZ is at 6.45 pm.